Poway's newest low-income housing project opens

POWAY -- The city's newest affordable-housing development received its first residents over the weekend, after being cleared by the city for occupancy late last week.

Escondido-based nonprofit Community HousingWorks teamed up with the city to build Solara Apartments on the southwest corner of Community Road and Hilleary Place, just south of Hilleary Park. The $16.5 million, 3-acre project added 55 apartments to the city's supply of housing for low- and very-low income people.

Contractors are still putting finishing touches on the complex's landscaping. Community HousingWorks asset manager Rosemary Stabrawa said Monday, however, that Solara's first residents moved in over the weekend, and more are expected to follow by the end of this week.

All the development's tenants should be in their new homes by the end of the month, she said.

"Approximately jubilant," Stabrawa said, describing her mood while handing out Solara apartment keys. "It's even more exciting than usual because this is a path-breaking complex in terms of its use of (energy-efficient) technologies."

Those include a photovoltaic system that turns natural light into electricity -- a feature that is expected to make the development self-sufficient in terms of its energy needs.

The system and other planet-friendly features helped the new development catch the attention of state officials and developers who have recognized Solara as the most energy-efficient multi-family development in the state.

The new apartment complex joins several other affordable-housing developments the city has built or helped construct in the last several years. All the communities are owned and operated by nonprofit organizations, under development or sales agreements they worked out with the city.

Community HousingWorks runs four local properties besides Solara: Haley Ranch Estates, Park View Terrace Apartments, Poway Villas and Hillside Village Apartments.

People who make 30 to 60 percent of the region's median income are eligible to live at Solara. For a family of four, that works out to an annual income of $41,100 or less; a single person making $28,750 or less also qualifies.

Would-be residents do not have to live in Poway. Community HousingWorks' staff spent four months working their way through an initial waiting list of over 1,000 people to pick Solara's tenants, using a screening process that verifies whether applicants meet the income requirements.

Those chosen to live in the new development's one-, two- and three-bedrooms apartments will pay monthly rents of $388 to $1,075. That compares to market-rate rents that start around $1,000 for a one-bedroom apartment in the Poway area.

Solara's photovoltaic system is expected to help residents' budgets because it will free them from paying electricity bills. Krissy Toft, Poway redevelopment project administrator and the city's liaison with Community HousingWorks for Solara, said the system was activated and began feeding electricity into the region's energy grid about three weeks ago.

The feature gave the complex its name: Solara is Spanish for "solar."

Spread among six two-story buildings, the apartments are also equipped with double-paned windows, skylights, energy-efficient appliances and recycling bins. The amenities come with some responsibilities, though, including mandatory orientation meetings for new residents.

Participants learn how to use the special complex's special features and are asked to commit to recycling and using energy wisely in their new homes, Stabrawa said.

"We stressed that just because you're getting your electricity for free doesn't mean you can waste it," she said, adding that the requests caused some Solara applicants to withdraw their names from the would-be tenant list.

Some of the programs Community HousingWorks plans to offer residents of the complex include presentations on conservation, opportunities to exchange traditional light bulbs for fluorescent ones and similar efforts, said Stabrawa.

"I'm thrilled because I'll be overseeing the operations side of it for years to come," she said. "And I just can't wait to see how it works out over time, how much money it ends up saving the property and the residents."

Toft said that although the incorporation of so many earth-friendly features made the new development more complicated and challenging than most affordable-housing projects, she is pleased with the final product.

"It's beautiful," she said.

The city and Community HousingWorks plan to celebrate Solara's opening June 5. The public will have a chance to tour the complex and get details about its features during the event, Toft said.

- Contact staff writer Andrea Moss at (760) 739-6654 or amoss@nctimes.com.